A Huanting
by The Moof
Summary: Frank Archer orders Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie to go with him to investigate a mysterious murder of a state alchemist and Greed joins them to protect his possession from Archer and Kimblee.
1. The First Four Doors

Title: The First Four Doors

Author: Cassie Mun

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Characters: Greed, Frank Archer, Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie

Prompt: Ghostly Excursions

Word Count: 1042

Rating: T+

Summary: Frank Archer orders Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie to go with him to investigate a mysterious murder of a state alchemist and Greed joins them to protect his possession from Archer and Kimblee.

Notes: I am doing the 31 Halloween Writing Prompts this year, sounds like fun. And this has creepy scenes and it is not for the squeamish.

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters from Fullmetal Alchemist, they are all owned by Hiromu Arakawa. I own Cassandra Lichtenberg.

* * *

It started simple and routine enough for the four of them. Actually three of them, Greed was hanging around to protect Cassie from Kimblee and Archer since he didn't trust either of them. The job was to do an investigation of a murdered alchemist that died via mysterious means. At first Archer and Kimblee didn't want Greed joining them, but that is when Cassie explained that Greed would be able to help because he might know things and find things their human senses couldn't. That was a good enough reason for Frank especially when Greed said he could pay for his own expenses on the trip.

As they took the train to South City, they read the reports and there are so many odd things that didn't fit and that wasn't counting the countless reports of military personnel that stated that the dead alchemist home was experiencing strange things that were quite bizarre. Frank thought that the men were pathetic scaredy cats, Kimblee was the same way but he was more of the skeptic thinking that the men were either imagining things or trying to get out of work. Cassie and Greed were on the other end and both of them believed that there was something going on, maybe on a supernatural level but they wanted to see to make sure.

Frank was glad he decided to take Cassie, Greed and Kimblee along. At least there was an even field of belief and skepticism in their group and the individuals' abilities and talents made the group better as a whole, and Colonel Archer wouldn't have it any other way. So on their way to South City they had a friendly debate about what was going on, what could be and what they had as evidence in the case so far. There were a couple of times that Frank told Solf to remove his fedora long enough to ask Cassie to hit Kimblee on the head with rolled up papers. All was all fun and games at first but when they got to the alchemist's home and started searching for clues, the first signs of whatever scared military men in the house started to show themselves to Archer, Kimblee, Greed and Cassie. And not in a very pleasant way either.

They decided to split up and check the first four rooms of the home. Splitting up they looked in all directions and inspected every nook and cranny in the hall before entering the first four rooms. The room Frank walked in to what looked like the living room with couch, loveseat and chairs. Everything looked fine and nothing was out of the ordinary, till something moved in the corner of Frank's left periphery. At first it looked like he assumed that a breeze from a window was causing the drapes to move. Walking up to the windows he realized that the windows were closed and there was no breeze, so he thought was imagining things, but then one of the walls looked like something was moving across it like some animal or person underneath a sheet. Seeing this, Frank's eyes widen as he quickly pulled out his pistol and looked around the room as his body shook as he was about to pull the trigger at any sign of movement on the walls.

The room Solf walked into looked like a study with various books and things. Kimblee was impressed by the room interior and the things in the room. Whoever this particular alchemist was, he knew his stuff, at least that what Kimblee was thinking as he looked around. Walking to the desk, he started opening drawers. All he could find was various research notes, bills and pay statements. Nothing out of the ordinary, but that is when he heard weird clicking sound in one of the walls. At first it he shook the sound off as the house settling one of the others, but that is when a black mass started to come out from behind a painting. At first Kimblee thought it was the sun hitting something outside causing the walls to cast shadows, and then he realized that the room was in the wrong angle to get any sunlight that time of day, especially from that part of the wall that the shadow was coming from. As he walked towards it Kimblee realized that the black shadow was more of a growing black mass of various centipedes, beetles and cockroaches.

Greed wandered into the dining room. He was impressed by the fancy dining set that was in various china cabinets in the room. He was seriously thinking of stealing them when he had the chance, but now he wanted to see if he could lift something smaller and less conspicuous from the room. As he looked around something told him something was wrong, something about this room told him it was more than it seemed. Looking around carefully Greed started to see the walls leak red. At first Greed thought that a pipe to the sewers from the upper bathroom started to leak shit, but as he walked closer to it, it didn't smell of shit, in fact it looked to red to be shit. Tasting it he realized it had a very familiar copper taste and soon figured out what it was. Backing away from the dining room Greed saw all the walls in the room start to bleed.

The last person was Cassie and she ended up in the first floor bathroom. Looking around things didn't look out of the ordinary. In fact things looked clean and nice. Nothing was out of place and it looked like it was recently cleaned. Looking through the cabinets and drawers she saw nothing out of place. Turning to look at herself in the mirror, she saw not just her reflection, but the reflection of a hideous monster as well. Seeing this Cassie ran straight to the door but the door slammed in front of her and locked her in the bathroom.

While the three men slowly walked back to the hallway they heard a blood curdling scream from Cassie from the shut bathroom door at the far end of the hall before a sudden creepy silence washed over the hall.

To Be Continued.


	2. The Next Four Doors

Title: The Next Four Doors

Author: Cassie Mun

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Characters: Greed, Frank Archer, Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie

Prompt: Haunted

Word Count: 1,543

Rating: T+

Summary: Frank Archer orders Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie to go with him to investigate a mysterious murder of a state alchemist and Greed joins them to protect his possession from Archer and Kimblee.

Notes: I am doing the 31 Halloween Writing Prompts this year, sounds like fun. And this has creepy scenes and it is not for the squeamish.

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters from Fullmetal Alchemist, they are all owned by Hiromu Arakawa. I own Cassandra Lichtenberg.

* * *

Kimblee being the closest to the bathroom tried opening the door. "Cassie unlock the door!" yelled Solf as he tried jiggling the door open. "It isn't funny Cass! You know this! Unlock the fucking door!"

"I can't it is locked form the outside. I can't get out!" said Cassie back to him as Frank and Greed got to the bathroom door.

"Try getting out through the window." suggested Frank as Kimblee kept trying to unlock the door.

"I… I can't!" she started to sound more terrified as she tried open the bathroom window, but the window wouldn't budge.

"Keep trying!" shouted Frank.

More screaming from Cassie was heard as Greed noticed blood pouring to the hall from underneath the bathroom door. Not letting this go on any further Greed activated his ultimate shield and ram through the door causing it to open with Cassie sitting on a cabinet while blood was flooding the bathroom from the bathtub, the toilet and the sink. Grabbing her he ran out of the bathroom when suddenly everything looked like nothing happened. Cassie was shaking as Greed deactivated his ultimate shield as he held her tight while Frank and Kimblee leaned against the walls relieved that they got her out of there.

"I'm here Cassandra, you're safe now. Greed's here." said Greed as he kissed her forehead.

Kimblee looked at Archer and asked him sarcastically, "What now oh fearless leader?"

Frank just glared at the Crimson Alchemist, but his attention turned to Cassie and Greed. "How is she Greed?"

Greed looked at Archer in a mix of hate and hurt that told Archer that he was responsible for putting his property in danger. "Other than extremely spooked, she is fine. No broken bones, sprains, cuts or bruises from what I can tell."

Frank started to speak, "I suggest we leave and…"

"No." growled Cassie as she looked at the others.

"What do you mean now Cassandra? You almost got hurt in that bathroom." stated Greed as she started to stand.

"So, I don't give a fuck Greed. I am not going to leave this place till I find out what killed that alchemist!"

Kimblee smiled a little, he always admired the redhead's fire and determination, but he was thinking that it was best for them to leave the house. "I do advise that we leave."

"I second it." replied Greed as he finally let go of Cassie.

"Please Frank, we have a job to do and we need to finish it, no matter how hard it is. Liore, Ishval, Dublith. All three of you have dealt with worse in those places than this place. This is a haunted house and I will confront it." Cassie said with iron determination, then she started yelling at the house itself, "You hear me house! I am not leaving here till I find out your fucking secrets! All Your Secrets! "

The three men looked at each other and then back at Cassie, who was still lecturing at the house.

"I am Cassandra Demona Lichtenberg of the Lichtenberg clan of West Creta! And my family has dealt with things like you for generations! And you will see the 'demon' come out in this Demona for fucking sure! Got that house! I am going to exorcise you!"

"Sorry boys, but it looks like we're out voted." said Frank as he walked up to Cassie.

"Okay, the lady wins." said Greed with an irritated grumble.

Walking up the stairs to the top floor, "Well I have to do what Frank says, he's the boss."

"You finally admit to that now?" said Frank as he walked behind Solf with Greed and Cassie backing him up.

"Why do you even have to deal with these losers?" asked Greed to Cassie.

Kimblee and Archer turned to Cassie and Greed and said in unison, "Shut up Greed!"

As they walked up stairs Cassie sensed something was off but couldn't put her finger on what it was. Greed knew her well enough to tell that she was sensing something. The sudden pauses as she walked, the carful audio and visual observations and the analytical cues on her face that showed her thinking things over in her head, but didn't say a thing till they were all up stares. When they looked at each other to discuss the next step on what to do, the stairs and the bottom floor that they just came from vanished before their eyes leaving nothing but the banister. Taking this as a cue to look at the other rooms they nodded to each other and walked to one of the four rooms.

Cassie opened the door to the room she chose to look in, it seemed normal enough but from what she had experienced in the bathroom she didn't want to trust the place.

When Greed walked to his room it seemed that he walked into Cassie's house that was completely engulfed in flames. A deep sense of concern and panic swept over him. He looked everywhere to make sure that she wasn't there. As he raced around the feeling of dread and pain kept getting to him and covering his mind like a heavy wet blanket. Greed couldn't get the feeling that Cassie was hurt somewhere. By the time he saw what looked like Cassie from across the doorway, she was screaming as her flesh started to burn off, muscles started to snap and pop while her blood and bodily fluids started to visibility boil in front of him as the fire started to cook her alive.

As Cassie wandered what seemed to be the master bedroom, she couldn't help but feel a deepening sadness in the room. Like a deep pit of grief was tugging at her heart.

Kimblee walked into his room and found himself walking outside of a building during the Ishval War of Annihilation. He smiled at the destruction that he caused. The blood of his victims splattered around him on the ground and walls, the smell of death in his own garden of corpses. As he walked around he heard a very familiar voice screaming. Running toward the voice he saw to his horror, his subordinate, Cassie being ripped apart by some Amestrian solder while still alive. Her screams and tears made his heart ache enough to rip her murder away from her. Pulling the murderer up by his shirt to look at the bastard, Kimblee looked at him dead in the face to see himself smiling back at him.

Cassie stopped in her tracts, closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she concentrated on where in the room the sadness was strongest. So that way she can hunt it down and maybe get some damn clues to the alchemist's death.

When Frank opened the door to the room he was inspecting he wandered into a dimly room where the only light was coming from a ceiling lamp in the center of the room. Walking in for a closer look, it seemed he was in an operating room with a medical staff doing surgery on someone. He looked around the room to only see an endless black void in all directions but the center of the room where the doctors and nurses were. Walking up to the surgical table he heard voices whispering, "Your fault." "It should be you on that table not her." "She sacrificed her life for you, you ungrateful bastard." As he finally got to the table the head surgeon turned to him and said, "We did all we could do Colonel Archer, she is barely alive, but in all honesty she would be better off dead." Looking on the operating table he saw half a body made from automail, when he looked to see who the poor woman was he saw Cassandra. He was horrified at her condition. He did this to her, but how he thought as Cassie's eyes suddenly opened and she quickly sat up and screamed, "WHY FRANK?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME DIE?!"

Walking to the direction of the greatest sense of sadness, Cassie spotted what looked like a handwritten journal. Flipping through it she caught several passages mentioning his lab in the basement and what he discovered and what he was working on. But it was the last entry in the journal that caught her attention the most. Reading it aloud to herself, "It has me, I have no clue what I have done. I thought I controlled the creature but it had control of me from the start. I have to make a mends and return the creature or at least destroy it before it not only consumes my body, mind and soul, but the world itself." She was convinced the answers to what happened to the dead alchemist were in the basement, as she walked out to tell the others she heard all three of them screaming. Running out to the hall she saw Kimblee, Archer and Greed out of the rooms they were in breathing heavily and shaking in fear with beads of sweat falling down their faces.

"What the fuck happened to you guys?" asked Cassie with a look of concern and confusion on her face.

To Be Continued


	3. The Last Door

Title: The Last Door

Author: Cassie Mun

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Characters: Greed, Frank Archer, Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie

Prompt: Not suitable for young children

Word Count: 2004

Rating: T+

Summary: Frank Archer orders Solf J. Kimblee and Cassie to go with him to investigate a mysterious murder of a state alchemist and Greed joins them to protect his possession from Archer and Kimblee.

Notes: I am doing the 31 Halloween Writing Prompts this year, sounds like fun. And this has creepy scenes and it is not for the squeamish. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters from Fullmetal Alchemist, they are all owned by Hiromu Arakawa. I own Cassandra Lichtenberg.

* * *

Cassie looked at them; all three of them looked at her in a mix of disbelief, shock and relief. She wasn't sure but each of them looked like if they got pushed any more than they just went through that they would be crying. And for Cassie, seeing Greed, Frank or Kimblee cry was saying something, a really big something. She didn't want to ask what happened so she figured that she should tell them of her discovery.

"Well, I have found a huge clue to what is going on here. There is someone or something in the basement that killed the alchemist." said Cassie sternly.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Kimblee with a look of perplexity on his face.

Opening the journal to show them the passage, she read aloud, "It has me; I have no clue what I have done. I thought I controlled the creature but it had control of me from the start. I have to make a mends and return the creature or at least destroy it before it not only consumes my body, mind and soul, but the world itself."

They looked at each other and then back at Cassie who handed to book to Frank who flipped through it with Kimblee looking over Frank's shoulder. Greed looked at Cassie; he knew what she was thinking. It was that stubborn streak of hers that he both loved and hated about the woman and it was that same stubborn streak that is going to end up getting her killed one of these days if he wasn't around to protect her.

"I am not going to even ask, I know where we are heading to next." replied Greed and he activated his ultimate shield, "We are heading to the basement and you wouldn't have it any other way. I am fucking surprised that whoever works with you isn't pussy whipped by you."

Kimblee and Archer looked at Greed with a glare of spite and then they said in unison, "Hey right here!"

"Never mind that, we have a job to do." said Cassie as she walked down the stairs with the others following her. They looked around till they got to the kitchen where they found the door to the basement. Greed was about to open it till Cassie spoke up, "Wait fellas. I need to do something."

Frank raised an eyebrow as he saw Cassie going through the spice rack and the cabinets pulling out various herbs and spices. "I hate to tell you Major Lichtenberg," said Archer in an authoritative tone, "but we are trying to solve a murder her, not bake a cake."

"I am aware of that Colonel Archer," replied Cassie in a sharp tone, "but if you would think outside of the box of possibility that maybe this last part requires something a bit old fashioned and unconventional."

"She does have a point Frank." said Kimblee with a smirk as he read the journal for more clues, "Besides, from what I have experienced and I am guessing as well as you, Greed and Cassie, this place isn't normal. And unlike you I am open to the possibility that we might have to do something unscientific to get the shit done."

"Besides, my Cassandra is not stupid when it comes to matters such as these." snapped Greed at Archer who he believed was belittling his possession. "There is more to this world than a mere mortal like you would know Archer, a lot more!"

As they were arguing, Cassie mixed a strange concoction in a jar and shook it to mix it. Looking at all of them she said, "Let's get going."

Nodding their heads they proceeded down into the darkness of the basement. As they walked down stairs the sensation of nausea hit them. It was mixed with an ever thickening miasma of otherworldly darkness that none of them could describe. They weren't too sure if they were walking down towards the basement or walking into the entry way to the portal to hell, but all Cassie knew that they would have to keep their wits about them to figure what happened to the owner of the house. As they got down to the bottom of the steps, they looked around in awe. Before them was seemed to be the dead alchemist's lab, but this was no normal alchemical lab.

"If I'm not mistaken this place looks like something out of an 18th century horror novel." said Kimblee bluntly as he looked at the room which looked more like a wizard's lab than anything else.

It had more weird writing, strange things and objects that no normal alchemist would be caught dead having unless they were to be called a crackpot and sent to the local sanitarium. There was less paperwork and more ceremonial magic items about the room. Something was off and all four of them knew it, this dead alchemist was tapering with something he shouldn't have and that is what killed him.

"I never seen alchemy labs look like this." said Frank as he looked around carefully with is gun ready to fire.

"This place doesn't feel right Cassandra; even Father's and Pride's taint isn't this sickening." replied Greed as he looked around as well. "And coming from me doll, that is saying something."

Kimblee was next to Frank picking up paper work and reading it, "Um… I don't think this guy was really was all there. He said something here about an imp and a place called Minauros. I don't get it."

"What does a place we haven't heard of and a playful prankster have to do with this?" asked Frank as he kept looking around.

Greed looked at Cassie. He saw her skin turn white and her body starts to shake. "Cassandra, what is wrong?"

Before she could speak, Archer looked at a paper and read aloud, "I am going to try to see if it possible to make a philosopher stone out of another source other than animals and humans. I am not too sure but if I am right and from my new familiar told me I might be able to."

"I don't get it." said Solf as he saw Cassie take what was in the jar and pour it on the floor as if she was making a transmutation circle, "Cass, what are you doing? What is this transmutation circle for?"

From the way she was ignoring them and the look on her face told all three of them that she really knew what was going on. They all looked at each other and gave Cassie the room to finish the circle. That is when she shouted at the house as she was at the end of finishing the circle, "Oh you are cleaver are devil. You made a pact with the alchemist to make a philosopher stone another way and you killed him when he was going to use your essence as the stone. Well guess what, you will not gather anymore souls!"

Before she finished the circle an eerie and festering angry sounding voice was heard, "Is that so little witch. I know about you Cassandra Lichtenberg. You are tainted, tainted with both Seelie and Unseelie taint. I can smell dragon and the sickening other kind. You are not as protected as you think."

Suddenly a flash of shadow was seen and a strange humanoid creature with jaundice skin and bat wings attacked Cassie scratching and clawing her body and face trying to make her drop the jar that she almost emptied. Seeing this Greed ran to Cassie and pried the creature off her. As the creature fell on the ground, Frank started shooting at it distracting the creature long enough for Cassie to hand Kimblee the jar to which he finished the transmutation circle. Soon as Frank's gun ran out of ammunition, the creature stood up and healed itself and ran to Solf to attack him but a flash of blue lightning hit the creature throwing him back in the center of the circle.

"What the hell did you do?" asked Solf as he looked at Cassie with confusion.

Frank loaded another round of ammunition, "That is what I would like to know. That is no ordinary transmutation circle."

"It isn't a transmutation circle." said Cassie as Greed put her down. "It's a protection circle. And now that imp is trapped."

Looking at Cassie then the imp, Greed then asked, "What now? It's trapped."

"Solf, this is your time to shine." said Cassie as she walked up to the Crimson Alchemist.

Kimblee looked at her and said, "How I am going to blast the little prick without the house coming down all around us?"

Putting her hand on the edge of the circle a blue glow in a form of a dome was seen. "See the dome, activate your alchemy on it and you will see. Trust me boss…" Cassie looked at all three of them with a look that told them to trust her, "… I know what I'm doing."

Nodding his head, Kimblee clapped his hands and as he touched the barrier then everything inside the dome exploded in a blazing flash of red light and then everything inside the dome, including the imp, was gone.

"Greed," asked Cassie as she still touched the dome as Kimblee removed.

Looking at her with concern, "Yes Cassandra?"

Taking a deep breath she asked him, "Do you sense any of the dark and negative energy around here. Any at all?"

Greed closed his eyes and focused; he smiled and chuckled a bit, "No… no doll, none at all. It is more peaceful here than Central headquarters."

Cassie smiled. "Good. That is wonder… ful." she replied as she collapsed on to the floor.

They ran up to her and checked her pulse. It was there, but weak and then there were the cuts on her face and body. They were bleeding and raw looking. As Greed picked her up, he, Kimblee and Archer walked upstairs. As Kimblee and Greed tried to do the best as they could do to as Frank made phone calls to get solders to do a cleanup of the place and to get Cassie to a hospital.

A few hours later in the exam room at the hospital, the doctor talked to Archer and Kimblee while Greed sat by Cassie as he fed her ice cubes. "Well it looks like Major Lichtenberg will be fine in a couple of days. I recommend her and all of you to relax for a few days before going back to the house and to work. And Miss Lichtenberg, no more crazy stunts, I don't want to see you in hear again. I will get your withdraw papers ready." said the Doctor as he left the room with Kimblee, Archer and Greed following behind so Cassie could get dressed.

On the outside of the exam room the guys were talking.

"That was a close call. We almost lost her to that… thing." said Greed as he knelt down rubbing his hands through his hair in frustration.

"And what did he meant by it smelt the taint on her. And what is this Seelie and Unseelie shit?" asked Kimblee as he put his fedora on his head.

Archer was just as confused as he paced back and forth, "And he said dragon, as in lizard, snake..., Greed? And what about this other taint? That thing didn't like thinking about the other taint she had was, whatever that is."

Cassie overheard them talking, she knew that they will want answers and deep down that imp knew what she was and where she came from in an ancestral sense. There was somethings that she was told as a child that she assumed was part of the family mythology and stories but not real, where they? Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and looked at the three of them and said, "Um… fellas, we need to talk.

The End


End file.
